Show, Don't Tell: Self-Serve Interactive Help​

mjohnson3
Community Contributor
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Introduction:

Rick Salisbury from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management introduced us to a tool called WalkMe which allows users to set up guided actions in any web-based system- including Canvas!

Details:

At my school, I always run into someone who feels that they must have 'just in time' training as opposed to any typed of standard, scheduled training. I'm sure that we all have that person (or even several of them!).  For most of us, this 'just in time' training involves sitting on the phone or video conferencing session coaching the person through muting grades in their grade book.  I have actually gotten to the point where I have brief videos for almost any scenario that we run into at our school. But what if they system could do that sort of thing for you... and what if it taught the person to do these tasks on their own by having them work through the steps.  Well, this is possible with WalkMe. As Rick explained to the attendees, WalkMe is an extension for the Firefox browser that allows its users (sorry, it is a paid subscription) to set up various times in which users would need guided help to complete a standard task (like muting those grades). While the extension is currently Firefox based, the playback is available in any browser, so you are not limited by this. Currently, Kellogg only uses this for Faculty and Staff based on their current needs, but Rick explained that it could be used for any type of user, and in fact, any type of web-based system- so if you're trying to make a financial argument for it, just know that if you have an online help desk, this could guide users through accessing the knowledge base, resetting passwords, and SO much more!

Conclusion:

This was a great session, that I am so glad I attended. I love the idea of making guided help available to our users, and this actually helps answer a question I received from our learning center just last week.  They wanted to know if we had any way of helping students understand how to submit the various types of assignments. Currently, all I have is a video, but this is much more interactive and by putting the user into the driver's seat, they should have a better chance at learning how to complete the task.  Something else that was also good about this presentation is that Rick pointed out that while this tool may be pricey for some, there are alternatives which he also evaluated.  By providing that information, this type of 'just in time' training may be more available to everyone.

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